Osteens pitching reality show for prime time

By KATE SHELLNUTT, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Updated 10:49 pm, Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Photo: Steve Ueckert, Staff

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Joel and Victoria (his wife) Osteen lead a worship service, Sunday, at Lakewood Church, the congregation he took over 8 years ago after the death of his father, John Osteen, founder of the institution. Osteen moved the congregation from its outgrown northeast Houston established site to the building formerly known as the Compaq Center and before that as the Summit. Dodie Osteen, John's widow and Joel's mother, sat near him during parts of the service. Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007, in Houston. (Steve Ueckert / Chronicle)

Joel and Victoria (his wife) Osteen lead a worship service, Sunday, at Lakewood Church, the congregation he took over 8 years ago after the death of his father, John Osteen, founder of the institution. Osteen

Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen, listens to people who are requesting a special prayer, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in Houston. Olsteen's church averages about 40,000 people in attendance per week including a ministry in Spanish. ( Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle ) less

Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen, listens to people who are requesting a special prayer, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, in Houston. Olsteen's church averages about 40,000 people in attendance per week including a ... more

POPULAR SPEAKER: Joel Osteen often speaks to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. When he takes the podium at Jerusalem Theater in Israel on Thursday the audience is expected to be about 1,000 people.

POPULAR SPEAKER: Joel Osteen often speaks to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. When he takes the podium at Jerusalem Theater in Israel on Thursday the audience is expected to be about 1,000 people.

Photo: Ron Wyatt, Joel Osteen Ministries

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Victoria Osteen, Lakewood Church pastor: A co-pastor at Lakewood Church, the largest church in the U.S., Victoria Osteen is busy with church duties, book writing and raising two kids. Exercise and healthy diet is how she gets it all done, she says. Combine cardio and strength training and eat plenty of whole foods. And make room for a little chocolate cake now and then. less

Victoria Osteen, Lakewood Church pastor: A co-pastor at Lakewood Church, the largest church in the U.S., Victoria Osteen is busy with church duties, book writing and raising two kids. Exercise and healthy diet ... more

Photo: Robert Seale, For The Chronicle

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July 9, 2005 | Joel Osteen poses for a portrait outside the new Lakewood Church, the former Compaq Center, July 9, 2005, in Houston.

July 9, 2005 | Joel Osteen poses for a portrait outside the new Lakewood Church, the former Compaq Center, July 9, 2005, in Houston.

Photo: BRETT COOMER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

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Osteens pitching reality show for prime time

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Joel Osteen announced Tuesday that he has partnered with Survivor producer Mark Burnett to create a reality TV show that would follow him and his wife, Victoria, and Lakewood Church members on mission trips across the country.

Osteen signed an agreement with Burnett to work on a series to be pitched for prime-time play as early as next year. The details of the program are still being worked out, so they've yet to secure a deal with a network. The news of their partnership was reported early by TMZ.

Osteen likened their program to Extreme Home Makeover, saying, "It's another way to take our message of hope and inspiring others to another venue … We didn't just want to do a reality show, we wanted to do something that inspires people and makes them better."

As co-pastors of Lakewood Church, the largest church in America, the Osteens already have 10 million viewers watching their broadcasts each week. They've repeatedly turned down reality show pitches, but then Burnett - a fellow Christian who has visited Lakewood multiple times in the year that they've known him - came up with a concept that would focus more on Christian mission than their own lives.

Plus, Burnett knows what he's doing. He's the man behind reality show successes Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice,Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? and The Voice - shows that Osteen says his family watches.

Within the realm of reality TV, viewers are already getting religious-themed programming, with TLC shows like All-American Muslim, Sister Wives and 19 Kids and Counting

"I can't imagine a better way for someone like megachurch pastor Joel Osteen to reach beyond one's audience than to do a reality TV show," said Diane Winston, the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California. "The genius of evangelicalism is to use whatever media is most popular at the time, and now they can exploit reality TV for their message."

Each episode will center on a three- to four-day mission trip, and Osteen imagines flying 200 to 300 Lakewood Church members to different areas of the country, such as poor neighborhoods and areas struck by natural disasters, and following their efforts to serve the community.

"It turns (mission trips) into an entertainment model, where you feel good watching it, people feel good doing it and Joel Osteen gets exposure," said Richard Flory, an expert in American Christianity at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC. "In an era where media exposure is the Holy Grail, this is to be expected."

The Osteens have their critics, people who say their church is too big and they've gotten too rich off their best-selling books, and those people will likely look cynically at this latest project.

But their ministry team emphasizes the good they hope will come out of the show, saying this is a way to highlight American volunteerism and generosity and to inspire others to get involved.

"We do these projects without the cameras rolling," said Don Iloff, spokesman for the Osteens. "But Jesus said, 'Let your light shine. Don't hide it under a bushel.'"